Two parties are interested in acquiring the former JEA headquarters building in Downtown Jacksonville, the city-owned utility announced.
Live Oak Contracting LLC and Simple State Inc. submitted responses to a JEA request for proposals to buy its former 19-story office tower at 21 W. Church St. along with adjacent properties. The bid opening was July 29.
JEA will now conduct a formal process to evaluate the responses. When that process is complete, staff will negotiate a purchase and sale agreement with the respondent that ranks the highest based on an evaluation committee’s recommendation.
The proposed agreement requires JEA board approval to be finalized.
In addition to the tower, the properties involved in the request for proposals include:
• The former Customer Center, a 248,220-square-foot, six-story office building built in the early 1960s.
• The Adair Building, a parking garage at 421 Laura St. with more than 500 spaces. The building includes street-level retail space.
• A below-grade parking deck with about 190 spaces. Those spaces were shared by the headquarters tower and Customer Center.
JEA moved from the Church Street headquarters campus into a new seven-story building at 225 N. Pearl St. in April 2023.
JEA twice postponed the deadline for responses to its request for proposals, saying potential respondents had requested more time.
Live Oak Contracting
Live Oak Contracting is based Downtown. It was founded in 2014 by Jacksonville native Paul Bertozzi and has since built more than 9,100 multifamily units and 11.3 million square feet of commercial space, according to the company.
Live Oak made news in 2024 when it announced it was in discussions to purchase the Laura Street Trio of historic buildings at Laura and Forsyth streets from owner SouthEast Development. The Jacksonville City Council approved incentives for SouthEast on three occasions to redevelop the long-vacant buildings, but the company failed to take action and the incentives were not paid out. The buildings remain vacant and unrestored.
Simple State Inc.
According to state records, Simple State Inc. is headquartered in Jacksonville Beach. The company’s principal is property owner and developer Marc Kozman.
In 2024, Kozman, through Arlington Florida LP, acquired a 16.2-acre site along the south side of the Arlington Expressway that was the former home of Jim’s Place, the FBI headquarters and Offshore Power Systems.
Arlington Florida LP’s plans for the site included converting three buildings into 285 residential units and creating an amenity space that would feature a full-size gym, game room, work-from-home office spaces, community event room, pool, dog park, pickleball courts, green space and a walking trail.
In March 2025, City Council approved two sets of companion ordinances to redevelop the site. Plans at that time called for the six-floor FBI and Offshore Power Systems buildings to be converted into apartments, with construction of four new six-story buildings.
According to staff reports from the city Planning and Development Department, the land that includes the FBI and Offshore Power Systems buildings would comprise six multifamily buildings totaling 659 multifamily units, plus an amenities area.
The restaurant property would be redeveloped with a seventh building along with a dog walk and pickleball courts.
The former FBI building has been renovated, but has not been completed. Jim’s Place has been demolished as site work continues. The two OPS buildings await renovation.